Apple might launch Macs with proprietary chips by 2020

Apple is already a powerhouse when it comes to designing processors for its phones. Now, it’s also reportedly working on chips for its computers, which will feature in Macs by 2020.

Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes that Apple will launch MacBooks with a chip designed in-house, two years from now. He added that by 2023, the company would also have a processor ready for its car project.

Kuo believes TSMC will be roped in to work on Apple cars chips as well, as the company aims to enable level 4 (highly autonomous) or level 5 (fully autonomous) self-driving capabilities in future vehicles.

Apple has been producing Macs based on Intel chips for a long time now. Bloomberg previously reported in April that the company was looking to start designing its own chips by 2020, and switch to ARM’s processor designs.

The move certainly sounds like it’ll make sense for Apple’s future hardware. In August, ARM revealed a roadmap which pointed to its upcoming 5G-ready chips being used in always-connected laptops. The roadmap also suggested that ARM might issue design standards for a more efficient 5-nanometer chip. We’d definitely like to see those benefits come to new Macs in short order. Fingers crossed.